Soil Screen And Lumber

Everything takes so much longer than I think it will, but I finally got the soil screen built. After I finished putting together my soil screen I went around looking for lumber the right length to fit the planter beds.

I'm sure I should have built the planter boxes first, but that would have been too easy. About now I'm thinking I should try planter beds without boxes. I can try those kinds of beds out next time I make some above ground hugelkultur.

We have a friend who gave us scrap lumber he didn't want that is perfect for the planter boxes. He cuts his own lumber from trees on his property so I know it is not treated with anything. And he cuts his lumber thicker than purchased lumber so I hope it will last longer.

Next chore is to haul out my miter saw to cut the long boards. I tried to find boards that were already a size I could use and got lucky. I only need to cut four long boards, but they are wet and heavy so I propped them up to dry out a bit.

It was in the sunny 70's today so I made myself go outside and work on the beds. The chicken pen is still too wet to dig up... I'll check it again tomorrow. This is a neat combination planter bed/chicken coop.

Kristine says she is still tired and sleepy all the time. I had a few days where I was so tired I just took the days off. Better to rest than get sick again. Kristine said that people can catch this weird cold again and it is worse the second time. Don't want that! 

Peek at the Past

(May 13, 2009)

[3 eggs today]

~:>

Smiles

Greenhouse Bed

Blogger won't let me type next to the top photo. Bad Blogger!

Today I worked on the greenhouse planter bed and finished up the layers in outside beds up to ground level. The next step will be to build wooden planter box frames so I can add more layers and soil for planting. The top two photos are of the bed in the greenhouse. I dug out the area, filled it with old branches and then filled the bed with water to soak the bed and the wood.

(I tried moving some code around so now I can type next to these two bottom photos. I wish I knew HTML better.)

Then I added a thin layer of dirt over the branches, then straw and some alfalfa pellets. Then I watered the whole thing well.

The soil here has very little organic matter in it and it is very dry so the soak will hopefully help with composting the branches and the other layers.

Once I get the wooden frames built and add more layers I have the feeling that I may not be able to plant this year because it will be too late to plant and the beds may need a year to compost so they won't burn the plants.

There are three beds in this photo. The third bed has a layer of dirt over it so it doesn't show up in the photo.

It is supposed to rain Sunday and Monday which will be great for the beds and for the chicken pen. The chickens won't like the rain, but it will make digging out the chicken pen a lot easier.

The Buff gave up being broody after one day... or she is hiding out somewhere in the woods? The Australorp is still strutting around in the pen like a gorilla chicken clucking away.

Peek at the Past

(May 8, 2009)

[4 eggs today]

~:>

Smiles

Branches and Beds

This is a photo of two planter beds that I have started to fill with old branches. I dug out the smaller bed today and then wandered around the property looking for branches hiding under the leaves. I am about halfway done filling the beds with the wood. Looking for more wood will be a good job for me tomorrow.

It was so nice and warm today, but the weather is going back to the 60's and 50's for the rest of the week. I will be happy when we get some warm weather. I need sunshine!

Morgan did a lot of barking today that I would like to think was at foxes, but I think she was probably after squirrels. At least the barking will hopefully keep the fox away.

Things are pretty boring around here. The big event today was when a propane truck parked out by the gate with the engine running. Noisy thing! I was out checking on the chickens and taking photos so I clicked off a pic. I thought the truck drivers might be lost... or maybe they stopped to eat lunch?

The chickens are so happy to be back out in the woods. The ground is still fairly wet so the hens are having a ball digging holes looking for yummy eats.

I have started reading comments and blogs. It is going to take me a long time to catch up.

Kristine and I are still tired and sleepy. I'm going to cook steak tonight in hopes that will give us some energy. Maybe I should get some salmon. Fish and chips sounds good.

Peek at the Past

(May 4, 2009)

mmmm... BBQ

[ 5 eggs today]

~:>

Smiles

Soil for Planter Beds

Thank you to all who left comments wishing our Buff Orpington a speedy recovery.

Kristine and I just checked the wounds on the hen and put on some more antibiotic. The wounds look to be in the healing process.

I cover the pen with plastic at night to keep her from drafts and to retain some body heat. The plastic has holes in it for ventilation.

Yesterday, before all the fox excitement I emptied the soil I sifted the other day out of the wagon and used it to fill pots in the greenhouse.

I have done some searching and found that the leaf compost I screened with the screen door was suitable for planting seeds not for a planter bed.

While I was moving the pots around I noticed that Morgan and some of the chickens were in their favorite warm spot on the side of the greenhouse.

By reading the search information I learned that fine screening will break down the composition of the soil that is needed to grow plants.

I liked watching this video of a lady showing how she gets her planter bed ready for planting.

I had no idea you could go out and rent a soil sifter. Amazing! Not going to do that either.

I found a piece of wire mesh that I am going to use to make a small soil sifter. And I hope to have enough of the mesh to make a chicken size door in the chicken's chain link pen so they can have access to the larger fenced pen next to them.

Peek at the Past

(March 22, 2009)

Snow last year!

[7 eggs today]

The injured hen is still with us in her private pen.

Sprouts are still sprouting.

Blogger editor: I don't know what has happened to the new editor but I had to switch back to the old editor because the text was not wrapping and it was overlapping the photos.

~:>

Smiles